Improvement in rain-water switches and reversible valves for cisterns



L. GUUDBEAU.

Rain-Water-Switch and Reversible-Valves for Bisterns, &c.

Patented Jan. 21, 1873.

AM PHD TO-LITHOGRAFHIL on MY (wsonus mamas) UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

LOUIS GOUDREAU, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAIN-WATER SWITCHES AND REVERSIBLE VALVES FOR CISTERNS,&c. H

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,035, dated January21,1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS GOUDREAU, of the city and county of Kankakeeand State of Illinois, have invented new and 'useful Improvements inRain-Water Switch or Iteversible Valve for Gisterns and other purposes;and I do hereby declare the following description thereof to be full,clear, and exact specifications of the aforesaid-named invention andimprovements, reference being hereby had to the accompanying drawing asa part of such specifications.

Like letters represent and refer to like or corresponding parts.

Figure I represents a front view or elevation of my invention andimprovements. Fig. II is a vertical section on a line through thecenter, showing the various parts of which my improvements areconstructed; and Fig. III, Sheet II, represents and shows theconstruction of my said rain-water switch or reversible valve, and thecenter-shaft to which the same is attached also, the crank by which theswitch or valve is operated.

Whenever soft or bituminous coal is used for cooking or warming purposesin a house or other building, it generally soils the roof by soot orother matter, so that when rain falls thereupon the same is washed fromthe roof down through the eavestroughs and conduits into thewater-cisterns, when such are used for the gathering and holding ofrain-water for whatever purpose desired. The rain-water thusgatheredinto such cisterns is greatly soiled and injured for use.Besides all these, great quantities of dirt or other injurious sedimentwill be gathered into such cisterns from the roof of the building havingsuch water-conduits. By such gathering of sediment much trouble iscaused to and experienced by those havin occasion or desire to use cleanor pure rain-water. To prevent the gathering of such obnoxious andinjurious sediment in the cistern connectedwith the roof or roofs of anybuilding, as aforesaid, is the main object of my aforesaid invention, bythe use of which the chief advantage to be derived is the constantsupply of ,clean and pure rain-water from the cistern to which the sameis attached, in the manner herein provided and set forth.

Having thus stated the object and nature of my aforesaid invention andimprovements,

I will here proceed to describe the construction and operation of thesame, in order to enable those who may be skilled in the art to which myinvention relates to make and use the same, which are substantially asfollows:

A, Figs. I and II, represents a box made of tin or other suitable metal,and made watertight, and of any form or size that may be desired toaccomplish the object or purpose of my invention. Upon the upper part ofthis box, having an inside space or chamber of any capacity that may bedesired, I arrange and attach the pipe or conduit B leading from thecave-conduit by which water is conducted 1 from the roof of the buildinginto said box A. The water from the roof passes therefrom throughconduit B into the chamber of the box A. At the lower part of the box A,and leading from the chamber therein, I construct two pipes or conduits,G and D. One is for the use or purpose of conducting the rainwater fromthe chamber'in the box A to the cistern connected therewith. The otherpipe or conduit is for the purpose of passing off or away from thecistern such water as may not be desirable to admit to the cistern; andsuch pipe may be called or known as the waste-water conduit, by andthrough which the water soiled or injured by means of the coal-soot orother injurious matter upon the roof is thrown off from the cistern,while the other pipe or conduit is for the use and purpose of conductinginto the cistern the clean and pure rain-water from the roof. Thisresult is obtained by means of the rain-water switch or reversible valveE, Figs. II and III. This switch or valve is constructed in form orshape substantially as shown at Fig. III, and

it may be of tin or any other suitable material and of strength orcapacity desired. At or near the center thereof it is attached andsecurely fastened to the center hearing or shaft F, Figs. II and III,which is formed or shaped to correspond to the former shaft of theaforesaid rain-water switch or valve E. At one end of the shaft F Iattach the crank G, by which the switch or valve is operated. This shafthas points of bearing in the box A in order to permit the same-to beoperated.

The aforesaid switch or valve is moved and stationed substantially asshown at Fig. II. It will then be seen that the rainwaterfrom the roofcoming into said box A by and through the conduit B isthrown or passedinto the conduit D. 'When it is desirable to change the water from theconduit D into the conduit 0, the aforesaid switch or valve E will bemoved or reversed by means of the shaft and crank, substantially asshown by the dotted lines in Fig. II. The crank G, Fig. I, may be usedto indicate the conduit into which the water is passing. Either of theconduits G or D may be attached to the cistern.

H, Fig. II, is a partition-plate used to prevent the waste of water intoany other than the desired conduit, and it may be of any material, form,or strength desired. 7

Having thus described the nature, construc tion, and operation of myinvention aforesaid, what I claim, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

The arrangement and combination of the partition-plate H with theconduits O and D, and with the switch or reversible valve E, constructedin the manner and for the purposes herein described and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have, on this 8th day of July, 1872, hereunto setmy hand in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS GOUDREAU.

Witnesses:

L. J. GOUDREAU, A. HAINES.

